x
  • Country ranking ?

    1 222
  • Producer ranking ?

    58
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    now to 2035
  • Food Pairing

    Roast lamb served medium-rare

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

Close

Wine Advocate 90 points 

Considering the vintages and the estate, Mouton's performances in 1989 and 1990 are puzzling. I have tasted these wines multiple times since my last reviews appeared in print. The 1989 Mouton-Rothschild is the superior wine, but in no sense is this a compelling wine if compared to the Moutons produced in 1995, 1986, and 1982. The 1989 displays a dark ruby color that is already beginning to reveal significant lightening at the edge. The bouquet is surprisingly evolved, offering up scents of cedar, sweet black fruits, lead pencil, and toasty oak. This elegant, medium-bodied restrained wine is beautifully made, stylish, and not dissimilar to the 1985. It is an excellent to outstanding Mouton that should be close to full maturity in 4-5 years; it will drink well for 15-20.- Robert parker Jr. (02/1997)

Close

The Story

Château Mouton Rothschild A Premier Cru Classé in 1973, Château Mouton Rothschild, owned by Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, consists of 205 acres of vines near Pauillac, in the Médoc, North West of the city of Bordeaux. This Premier Cru benefits from exceptionally good natural conditions, both in the quality of the soil, the position of its vines and their exposure to the sun. It is regarded today as one of the world's greatest wine. 


The name Mouton is said to be derived from the word „Motte“ meaning mound or elevation of the ground. It was bought in 1853 by Philippe de Rothschilds great-grand father it was in a fairly bad shape and when the classification of 1855 was set up it was not deemed to be good enough to be qualified as a first growth but put in first place amongst the second growths. An injustice it took Philippe de Rothschild until 1973 to rectify. 1920s Philippe de Rothschild called together the owners of Haut Brion, Latour, Lafite, Margaux and Yquem to talk about the idea of bottling and marketing their wines on their own.

The first vintage to be bottled exclusivly at the château was the 1924 vintage. To commemorate this, the cubistic painter Carlu was asked to design the label, yet another revolutionary idea in this most conservative of surroundings. The idea of an artist designing the labels was dropped until 1945 when Philippe Jullian was asked to design a label commemorating the victory over nazi Germany. Since then works of such famous artists as Picasso, Miró, Dali, Chagall and personalities like John Huston and Prince Charles have been used for the labels.


In 1988, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, who had already been associated with her father's work for some time, succeeded her father. She has in turn become the guarantor of the quality of an illustrious wine whose motto proudly proclaims : "Premier je suis, second je fus, Mouton ne change". First I am, second I was, I Mouton do not change

Vineyard soil: very deep gravel on a limestone base Production area: 82.5 ha Grape varieties: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot Average age of vines: 48 years Harvest method: hand picked. The grapes from the younger vines are harvested first and vinified separately.

Winemaking: Before destemming, the grapes are hand-sorted then selected one by one. Vinification depends on each vintage and the characteristics of each vat. All the relevant parameters, such as temperature, pumping over, aeration, vatting time and running off, are monitored by the technical manager, the cellar-master and the laboratory.
Ageing: 19 to 22 months in oak barrels (almost all new, the percentage varying according to the vintage)
 

Close

Wine Information

Château Mouton Rothschild 1989

Climatic conditions
Weather conditions in 1989 were exceptional, almost ideal. The winter, sunny and dry, but cold, enabled the vines to rest.
Spring was warm and humid, and the vegetation cycle began around 8 April, eight days earlier than the average. Flowering took place evenly from 20 May to 7 June, the earliest for 45 years.
A warm and dry June was followed by equally warm but more humid weather in July. August continued hot and sunny, but a few welcome stormy showers ensured that the vines were well watered.
Veraison took place evenly across each variety and each parcel. Under these conditions, the 1989 harvest was the century’s earliest: from 6 to 25 September.

Harvest 6 September to 25 September
Varietal mix
Cabernet Sauvignon 78%
Cabernet Franc 14%
Merlot 8%
Tasting notes
The wine has a deep colour with an attractive ruby and garnet hue.
The pleasantly smoky and toasty nose also reveals some notes of liquorice, spice and cedarwood.
The attack is round, with plenty of fruity freshness over sustained, silky tannins and subtle touches of caramel, wild berry fruit, vanilla, coffee and white pepper. The long finish is generous, harmonious and well-balanced. A very fine vintage indeed.

1989 GEORG BASELITZ
Born in Deutschbaselitz in Saxony as Hans Georg Kern, Baselitz (1938-) took his name from his native town. He knew nothing about contemporary art until he left East Germany at the age of twenty. Initially his painting was marked by an iconoclastic licence and a preoccupation with certain powerfully provocative images - mutilated feet, distorted penises, despairing masks - and by a subversive violence allied to a spiritual quest reminiscent of Antonin Artaud or Baudelaire. In 1969 he painted his first "upside-down" painting. All his work since has employed this conceit, allowing the painter to find a "new distance" from the subject he is painting and to impose, without being any less figurative, a literal revolution on the way the public looks at the world.

His upside-down rams for the Mouton Rothschild 1989 label bring together the traditional Mouton emblem with the great historical shock of that year: the demolition of the Berlin Wall. He has added the words "Drüben sein jetzt hier" - "Over there is now over here".

Close

Vintage 1989

Bordeaux: The 2nd in a trio of great vintages and which produced a large harvest of ripe, rich and fleshy wines which generally possess soft, silky tannins, accompanied by a high alcohol level. It was the hottest summer since 1949 and the harvest began on August 28, the earliest since 1893. The grapes were harvested in dry conditions, the only concern being that some acidity levels were low, which which has led to suggestions that some wines would not be suitable for long-term aging. Ten years later, these fears have proven to be largely unfounded, as the best wines are now showing extremely well, showing concentration and great complexity.

Close

Latest Pro-tasting notes

29 tasting notes

Tasting note

color

Medium and Ruby red

ending

Medium and Pure

flavors

Blackcurrant, Plum and Toasty

nose

Intense, Ripe, Round and Rich

recommend

Yes

taste

Low in Acidity, High alcohol content, High tannin, Well-structured, Complex, Balanced, Developing, Full-bodied, Sharp, Ripe, Rich, Silky and Dry

Written Notes

Almost fully mature, but still very youthful and fresh. It has a deep dark ruby colour, but a touch more development than the 1986. Lovely complex nose. This is a well-designed, rich and very ripe Mouton, and not too oaky. Very good acidity and balance. This Mouton should be drunk with food. Not the most concentrated and richest Mouton, but a profound drink now and in the near future.
  • 91p
The 1989 Mouton Rothschild was a bit of a sleeper, showing lots of coffee aromas and flavors before its big finish. Its hard tannins gave a rustic and briary impression (93).
  • 93p

Freshly picked blackberries turn into minty dark chocolate and oozing caramel with domineering eucalyptus on the nose. It becomes yet more complex on the palate thanks to layers upon layers of spices and sage plus fat and rounded tannins. There's a long finish with a bitter aftertaste, suggesting this could do with another 10 years or more of bottle aging. This is a Mouton I found massive at the time, then elegant and slightly austere years later, but today true to its former glory. Like the amazing 1947, it should not be forgotten.

  • 98p

The Mouton 1989 is supple, harmonious, cascading with beautifully balanced fruit, spice and earthy tobacco notes. Not a powerhouse, but very fine and delicious to drink now.

  • 94p

From a 0.75 lt. bottle, Medium ruby colour, slightly watery rim, black fruits and forest on the nose, light bodied, smooth, tannins fully softened, ready to drink.

I guess the wine would benefit from decanting , not a wine for the enomatic machine.

Long finish, for the 89 vintage a very well made wine.

rating 91, most probably with decanting 93-94.

  • 91p
Ruby, intense nose of cedar, Hermes sadle, cassis and fine tobacco. Floral and Mouton's fine exotic spices, some herbs. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, lovely texture, refined and elegant. Seductive and very long finish. Probably my finest bottle of 89 Mouton. Lovely.
  • 96p
Load more notes

Information

Origin

Pauillac, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

Below Average

Fake factory

None
Incorrect Information
If you found some information that is wrong, let us know
Are you sure you want do delete this wine? All information will be lost.
Are you sure you want to recommend this wine?
Are you sure you want hide this written note ?
Are you sure you want show this written note ?
UPGRADE MEMBER PLAN
Upgrade your membership now, it's quick and easy. We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards. Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal. You can cancel your membership at any time.
Thank you for your support!
 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

 

HOW TO USE TASTINGBOOK?

We recommend you to share few minutes for watching the following video instructions of how to use the Tastingbook. This can provide you a comprehensive understanding of all the features you can find from this unique service platform.

This video will help you get started



Taste wines with the Tastingbook


Create Your wine cellar on 'My Wines'



Explore Your tasted wines library



Administrate Your wine world in Your Profile



Type a message ...
Register to Tastingbook
Sign up now, it's quick and easy.
We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards.
Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal, where you can sign up for a free 7-day trial period. You can cancel your membership at any time. We wish you a rewarding journey to the world of Fine Wines.

Free 7 days Member trial

 

Member

 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

  Register